The Stirland murder and the Nottingham connection

Last updated at 14:29 29 June 2006

The shooting of Joan and John Stirland did little to help Nottingham's reputation as the gun capital of the UK.

Although they were executed in a neighbouring county, the couple were from Nottingham and had fled the city to escape reprisals brought on by a gun murder their son had committed there. The men convicted of planning their murder also hail from Nottingham.

In the 12 months preceding their deaths, a string of high-profile murders had already identified the city as one of Britain's gun crime black spots.

When shopkeeper Marion Bates was shot dead in August 2003, Nottingham became synonymous with guns. The 64-year-old was hit by a bullet as she defended her daughter Xanthe from an armed robber during a raid on the family jewellery store.

In October 2004, 14-year-old Danielle Beccan was killed in a drive-by shooting as she walked home from a funfair.

The shooting of an innocent couple in the quiet Lincolnshire hamlet of Trusthorpe was a terrifying sign that the powerful crime families and drug gangs that had dominated large areas of the city for so long were branching out.

Nottingham's gun problem was spilling beyond the city, and even county, boundaries.

Until the double murder, Lincolnshire, on the other hand, was known as one of the more peaceful counties.

But when a criminal gang stalked their prey from Nottingham to the sleepy coastal area, Lincolnshire Police were left to deal with the fallout.

Once Lincolnshire Police had arrested their suspects the home force finally had the chance to crackdown on the remainder of the problem - and start salvaging the city's reputation.

The murder of Danielle in particular seemed to mark a watershed, with the launch of Nottingham Stands Together.

The multi-agency campaign launched a three-year plan aimed at cracking down on organised crime, gang violence and the scourge of gun crime.

Recent evidence suggests that police are finally winning the battle and that the perception of Nottingham's gun crime is now much worse than the reality.

Despite a recent report by independent think-tank Reform hailing Nottingham as the most crime-ridden city in the UK, the latest Home Office figures show a 16% fall in the number of firearms offences in Nottinghamshire.

Such evidence suggests the area has managed to turn around a trend that in 2002 saw it nearing the top of national gun crime statistics.

In 2005 there were only five injuries and one death due to a firearm in the city. This year four people have been injured in shootings and no-one has so far been killed - a far cry from the days when Chief Constable Steve Green announced that his force could not cope and were having to "farm out" murder investigations to other forces.

However, the shooting of trainee policewoman Rachael Bown in February catapulted Nottingham back into the gun crime limelight.

The 23-year-old probationary officer was shot in the abdomen as she responded to reports of a burglary at a student property in Lenton. Trevon Thomas, 24, is charged with her attempted murder.

But, say the police, such incidents are still rare in the county as the force continue to take a hard-line on guns and organised crime.